What is this Nicotine Salt Anyway?

You may or may not have heard of nicotine salt; it’s certainly the new big thing in the vaping community! So, today I’m here to answer the question, “What the deal with this stuff?”. For starters lets be clear that you don’t add table salt to your favorite eliquid and go put it in your Juul.

It’s called nicotine salt because nicotine has the same chemical composition as salt. So, nic salt is just nicotine that is still attached to its positively charged ion. More on that later. Nic Salt is simply a different way on a chemical level of delivering nicotine. The outcome is a vape that has a higher concentration of nicotine, smoother throat hit, and by way of some patented secret method still achieves a fast absorption of that nicotine into your blood stream.

How does nic salt differ from normal VG/PG based nicotine?

Tobacco derived nicotine on a chemical level has a positive charge and a negative charge. When you separate the negative charge which is the base, you end up with an easily absorbable form of nicotine. This has been the standard in combustibles and vape liquid. Salt Nic differs by keeping the nicotine in it’s original form until vaporized. This is why there is a higher concentration of nicotine needed in salt nics. Ions do not move across our membranes as well, and therefor it makes the nicotine harder for us to absorb.

This is where the secret sauce comes in. My research indicates that the secret ingredient is benzoic acid. This both lowers the nicotine’s pH level which gives a smoother hit, and somehow makes the effects more instantaneous. So, now you can get the potency of nicotine in it’s more natural state, whilst also not having to deal with that harsh hit.

Now that we’ve gone through some of the science, what type of device might you want to use to enjoy this not so salty deliciousness? Well, you are probably already familiar with pod systems, which by in large already use salt nic. Brands such as Juul, Myle, Kilo, And SMPO, for example.

Other devices allow you to buy that salt nic in larger quantity just like you would buy any other premium juices. Some of my favorites are the Basal, Suorin Drop, Tarot Nano, and the new Mag Mini. Those are just a few of the many options though. Basically, these are lower wattage devices, and also smaller which is always nice. You won’t need the high wattage options, because that higher nicotine concentration would make you a bit nicotine-sick at that level. So, another benefit to using nic salt at a lower wattage would be increased battery life too!

I hope this helped explain the basic of what nic salt is and gave you some ideas of what devices you can check out. Feel free to do some of your own research and dig more into the chemistry at play here. It’s pretty cool!